Jetstar Economy – A320-200 – From Kansai Osaka to Tokyo Narita

It was cheaper for us to fly back to Tokyo from Osaka than it was to catch the bullet train, even when factoring in the cost of getting to the airport in Osaka. We were flying out of Narita the following day back to the UK (via Moscow) so it seemed like the perfect chance to check out Qantas budget airline Jetstar for the first time. While also limiting the amount of travelling at the other end due to our international long-haul flight the following day.

We booked the flight directly through the Jetstar website and paid using our MasterCard to avoid international charges, as you had to pay in Japanese Yen. We could have taken the earlier flight out of Kansai Airport and saved ourselves around 1,000¥ each. However with only a week since the devastating typhoon here and the fact we were unable to check into our hotel at Narita Airport in Tokyo until 3pm this didn’t seem practical.

We booked the economy ticket as we were already flying with hand luggage only, although Plus was only an extra 2,000¥ per person (£14.20 at the time of writing) and allowed for an additional 10kg in checked baggage. 2 Days prior to the flight I had an email to advise about the additional baggage options, car hire, the usual upsets.

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We didn’t require any additional upset items and there were no promotional or special offers or discounts on any of these items at this time.

Checking In

To maximise our time in the airport and minimise the amount of hassle we decided to check in online. I did so using the mobile application which at the time of downloading had only one-star on the Apple App Store (based on five reviews). As all the negative comments were based on booking a flight via the Jetstar app I decided to give checking in on it a go and had zero problems.

Sure it wasn’t the most intuitive application and there was a limited amount of data I needed to input given the fact the flight was domestic. However, I was still able to add boarding passes to the Apple wallet all while by passing the additional upsells once again.

Boarding

Despite being an international airport, Osaka’s Kansai airport was very quiet. There was nobody except the odd staff member at the security check-point. So much so we had to question whether or not it was even the right place. The terminal seemed to go for miles, with open space and empty chairs. We attempted to visit either of the two airport lounges here. Unfortunately, at this time neither accept priority pass and access can’t be bought instead only obtained through status.

Our Jetstar plane all set for boarding

As we’d only shared a croissant since waking up three hours earlier, Helen and I opted to purchase food from Starbucks which is situated in the middle of the north and south security areas. There’s no seating inside Starbucks at Kansai International Airport. Instead, you’ll have to sit in the general seats within the terminal. However, given the fact that at the time it was around one passenger for every one hundred seats that wasn’t too much of a problem.

Boarding of our flight started just 10 minutes prior to departure. As always we sat away from the gate and let the crowds around us pass. We, therefore, struggled to hear the information and order in which boarding took place. However, I don’t believe there’s any priority boarding for passengers as the entire Jetstar flight was economy. Despite the aircraft being at somewhere around 85% capacity, the boarding process took less than 10 minutes with myself and Helen is one of the last to board at around 14:05.

We had no problem using our mobile e-passes to board, with paper tickets being printed off at the gate. I’m not quite sure what the necessity was of doing so as it only relayed the information we had on my phone but on paper (it’s not as though it was even translated into Japanese instead of English)

Cabin

This particular plane was 5 years old and was fitted with a relatively modern interior. There were no business class, first class or even premium economy. Instead, there was a couple of seats with extra legroom at the front of the aircraft and over the wing which could be purchased as an additional extra on top of the flight.

View out of the window taking off from Osaka

The Flight

We took off at 14:18, 13 minutes later than scheduled and banked a complete 360 degrees before the seatbelt signs came off 10 minutes later.

Limited leg room and tray table space available on Jetstar Economy. Especially when the person in front reclines…

The passenger in front proceeded to recline their chair limiting the amount of space I had. There were no in flight service, only promotional information about the ticket services available to purchase on board to be used in Tokyo.

The range of Jetstar reading materials. Unfortunately only the range of Jetstar tickets available was in English

Despite the seatbelt sign not coming on, at 14:58 I was requested by cabin crew to put away my laptop and fold up my tray table. I checked the sign and looked at the staff member confused, but didn’t question it as I knew we were only 20 minutes or so away from landing.

10 minutes later the seatbelt sign did come on and we landed at 15:22.

Menu & Meals

Due to the duration of this flight being less than an hour there were no meals served. There was a snack menu available in the seatback pocket.

Staff didn’t come around with a trolly with goods and instead focused on the sale of the tickets for services within Tokyo.

Please click below to view the full range of Jetstar Japan Menu photographs including product listings and prices;

That concludes our review of Jetstar Economy service flights domestically within Japan. We’d love to know if you’ve flown on this flight or a similar flight with Jetstar. Let us know down in the comments below.

2 Comments

I flew with jet star for the first time 2 weeks ago – Singapore to Ho Chi Minh (2hour flight). We booked via emirates so got a complimentary meal. Overall I thought it was a decent service and plane for such a short flight.

Booking by Emirates with the complimentary meal is a great idea. I completely agree, the plane was relatively modern, if anything our flight was too short the staff didn’t have a chance to show off with the different services Jetstar could / can offer.

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